Nier (And Why You Should Play It)

[Foggle]

I am happy!

[gunswordfist]

Awesome!

[monstursa1997]

I have played the first Nier and I enjoy it. But I am concerned about the creator.

After news of Nobuhiro Watsuki's recent outing as a pedophile, should we not be questioning if Yoko Taro is one too?

Every time I see him, he always wears that creepy mask. I know he says he's camera shy and doesn't like his photo taken, but could there be more to that? I know it is his trademark at this point, but a man who obscures his identity for press releases often has something to hide. My friend believes he is a pedophile, but I am not so sure.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I doubt the mask or any of his strange quirks or gimmicks are indicators of his sexual preferences or general qualities as a human being. Like all creators, we don't know anything about Yoko Taro aside from what he shows us.

With people like Nobuhiro Watsuki we didn't know anything either until it slipped out, and it's horrible what he has been guilty of. However, I don't see his misdeeds as a way to strip all other creators from any benefit of the doubt. Just because he and others like him screwed up doesn't mean that everyone else in the entertainment industry is the same way. That'd be like accusing the whole world of being serial killers just because a fraction of a percentage have been proven to be that fucked up.

The truth is, we don't know who the people behind these books, movies, and games that we like really are, but it'd be wrong to just assume the worst of them based of the shame of others who have been exposed when there are clearly plenty of honest and good people among them.

More than anything, I tend to judge the quality of a creator's work more than the creator themself. I don't know anything about Yoko Taro to tell me he's a messed up individual, so unless something like that comes out, I have nothing to judge him on. Regardless of who he is, though, works like Nier and Drakengard stand on their own as the work of multiple individuals working on the same projects, and as such it is a reflection of all of them, not just one person.

Likewise, even manga like Rurouni Kenshin has more hands in producing it than just the person writing and illustrating it, so regardless of who Watsuki is as a person, I believe that the work stands alone from the creator in terms of being judged for what it is versus him being judged for who he is.

[Foggle]

I have played the first Nier and I enjoy it. But I am concerned about the creator.

After news of Nobuhiro Watsuki's recent outing as a pedophile, should we not be questioning if Yoko Taro is one too?

Every time I see him, he always wears that creepy mask. I know he says he's camera shy and doesn't like his photo taken, but could there be more to that? I know it is his trademark at this point, but a man who obscures his identity for press releases often has something to hide. My friend believes he is a pedophile, but I am not so sure.

Yoko Taro is a weird guy who likes to make people think and laugh. The reason he wears the Emil mask is due to anxiety and impostor syndrome, common traits among artists with dedicated followings; that said, I think at this point it might have honestly evolved into a publicity thing. Most people either love or are at least interested by that aspect of him, and his antics are good marketing/PR for Square Enix. If you Google his name you can easily find a picture of his actual face, and he did a GDC talk where you can see him without it as well. I don't think he has anything to hide - when he isn't being deliberately obtuse in interviews he's actually pretty open about himself.

I guess it's possible that he could be a pedophile? I mean, anyone could be for all we know. I highly doubt he is, personally. Aside from coming across as a very genuine guy despite his quirks, he has been happily married to a woman his age for many years. He also seems to have a non-pedophilic "type" judging by the fact that his three most recent games all feature sexy, assertive women in their mid-20's with white hair as major characters. Also, Drakengard 1 includes a pedophile as a party member who the game dunks on incessantly for being a piece of shit while equating him with a cannibal serial killer.

With people like Nobuhiro Watsuki we didn't know anything either until it slipped out, and it's horrible what he has been guilty of. However, I don't see his misdeeds as a way to strip all other creators from any benefit of the doubt. Just because he and others like him screwed up doesn't mean that everyone else in the entertainment industry is the same way. That'd be like accusing the whole world of being serial killers just because a fraction of a percentage have been proven to be that fucked up.

Exactly, Watsuki is an outlier. Unlike the many predators who have been outed in Hollywood recently who make the choice sexually harass or assault others, pedophiles suffer from mental illness. Yoko Taro is a man very honest and in touch with himself to the point where I feel like it would definitely have come out by now if he were a pedo.

[Daikun]

It has a manga, and Viz licensed it.

[Daikun]

It's getting an anime.